A few months back, Delta Airline came under
serious criticism from social media fanatics for depicting Ghana with a Giraffe
in a tweet the company sent out after the Black Stars’ defeat to the USA in their
2014 World Cup opener. The company had to apologise for something it could have
easily avoided if it had committed to making the necessary enquiries. Would it
have hurt for the company to do its background research before putting such
information on Twitter, one of the most fertile social media platforms for
business?
In this modern age of digital
communications, it is imperative for businesses to exercise extreme caution in
the type of information they put out. You have to maximise efforts in ensuring
that whatever advert or branding you put out connects positively with the
target audience, especially when you are entering new markets. Here are a few
pointers on what to do;
1. Investigate and try your
market
It is very risky for your company to assume
what a potential customer’s preferences are. You have to investigate and try
your market by using diverse offers, prices and packages. This will assist you
in determining how the various marketing efforts are paying off. You can also
get response from your customers on what package suits them best. For example,
when Dr. Pepper decided to enter Australia in 1997, the manufacturers forgot
that though people may behave similarly, they had different taste. The product
performed poorly because it was absolutely rejected by the Australians for its
palate.
2. Mind you language
Language is an important facet when
entering new territories with your marketing campaign. You need to learn and
understand what words mean in different tongues, especially if your territory
has multiple dialects. The name Coca-Cola in China was first rendered as
Ke-kou-ke-la. Unfortunately, the Coke company did not discover, until after
thousands of signs had been printed, that the phrase means "bite the wax
tadpole" or "female horse stuffed with wax," depending on the
dialect.
3.
Learn their Culture
Culture differs from one society to the
other. Every society has its own distinctive way of life with regards to traditions,
norms and taboos. In 2011, when Puma decided to launch a shoe in the United
Arab Emirates (UAE), it made the mistake of designing the footwear with the
colours of their national flag. Now, in the UAE, most people are predominantly
Muslims. In Islam, the feet is considered unclean and for the company to
associate their national flag with footwear, was the biggest insult ever. This
action led to the failure of the product. These are but a
few examples of what you should consider when entering new markets. Imagine the
amount of money these companies lost because they took for granted these simple
elements. You do not have to be the next culprit to be caught in the act of a marketing
blunder; do the right thing and spare yourself the loss of money and embarrassment.
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